After
by Arthur97
Summary: After Chrom's defeat, Grima rises to power, and the world starts to crumble. Amidst this chaos, a princess grows into a formidable warrior that will fight against fate. Part 2 of 3 of the History series.
1. Chapter 1

It was a sunny day out in the gardens of Castle Ylisse. Perfect weather for hunting down ne'er-do-wells Lucina determined early that morning. Using her beloved wooden sword, the young princess giggled and laughed the morning away as she valiantly fought off the hordes of imaginary miscreants. None of them stood a chance against the great Lucina Ylisse! For she was just the latest in a long line of heroic individuals. The greatest of which being her father of course.

The gardeners, however, were not as happy about the young princess' triumphs. She suspected that they were really conspiring against her with the bandits, but her parents insisted that they were just grumpy because she trampled their flowers. Could they not see the importance of her missions though? What were a few measly flowers on the path to vanquishing evil?

"Lucina!"

The princess halted her campaign and stuck her head up above some shrubbery, "Mother!" Lucina ran and leapt into her mother's arms.

"There you are," Sumia smiled at her little girl before putting on a stern face, "I've been looking all over for you. You're supposed to be studying right now."

"Aww," Lucina's arms fell with her sword touching the ground, "But that's so boring!"

"I know it is, dear," Sumia smiled at her daughter. How she had grown already. Her father had even given her a few basic sword lessons, "But it's important that a future Exalt be well educated."

"But I'd rather be a heroic fighter like you and father. I don't have to sit through boring lessons for that."

Sumia giggled, "What about Robin? He has to be really smart."

"Yeah, but he's no fun! Always studying and staying alone in his room or the library. He barely even smiles. That's weird!"

"He's just…a bit sad," Sumia knew he was lonely. He was down on himself because he had managed not to find love while so many of those around him did. He felt something was wrong with him. They kept trying to reassure him, but nothing seemed to work.

"Well, if lessons make me sad, why do them?"

"Robin isn't sad because he's smart. He's sad because he's lonely."

"Lonely?" Lucina tilted her head, "With so many people around?"

"It's…not that simple. Maybe you'll understand when you're older. In the meantime, you should go to your lessons like a good girl."

"Aww," Lucina whined as her mother led her across the courtyard. The princess then shifted tracks, "Mom, will Dad be home soon?"

"He should be back before too long," Sumia replied vaguely. Truth be told, she was quite concerned herself. He had led some of their best into Plegia to meet Validar to supposedly be gifted the remaining gemstone for the Fire Emblem. It was rather sudden and a bit suspicious that he would suddenly invite Chrom to receive it, but he went anyway. Sumia had been ill and unable to go which just made her worry that much more. Still, he had Robin with him which did help allay her fears. She had confidence that he would be able to spot a trap and get them out of it if need be.

"I hope so," Lucina looked up at the clear blue sky and pouted at the sight of clouds starting to roll in, "I miss him."

"So do I, honey. Once–"

"Open the gate!" A guard yelled, but something was not right. He sounded panicked.

"What's wrong?" Sumia felt as if her blood had turned to ice.

"We've spotted Sir Frederick riding toward the castle at a full gallop," One of the guards yelled back.

"Alone?'

"It would appear so, your Majesty."

Sumia's fears only got worse when Frederick charged past the open gate clutching his side with both he and his horse missing armor in various places.

"Lucina, go inside," Sumia told her daughter on the verge of panic before dashing off to the loyal knight. Lucina did not move, however. She was frozen in shock at the sight of the knight. He was usually so strong and big. Now he looked so weak and frail, and there was also a lot of red on his side.

"Frederick!" Sumia tried to help the knight from his horse, but he refused her aid.

"I'm sorry my queen," Breathing was a struggle for the knight. Sumia saw his side and the copious amounts of blood making her wonder how he had even survived the ride here. He then handed her something that he had been clutching in a death grip along with his horse's reigns, "I have failed. We were…betrayed…"

That was all Frederick managed to get out before losing consciousness. Sumia emptily stared at the sword in her hand for a moment as the guards hurried Frederick to the infirmary before turning around to see her daughter.

"Lucina!" Sumia quickly hid the blade behind her back, "Go to your room."

"W-what happened to Sir Frederick?" Lucina stared wide eyed at her mother.

"He's, um, he's been hurt."

"Will he be okay?"

"I…don't know." All her medic training was screaming that the knight was probably not going to make it, but she was not about to tell Lucina that, "Now, please, go to your room. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay," Lucina turned to leave, but her mother called out to her. Before she had even finished turning, Sumia wrapped her in a tight hug. Without an explanation, Sumia let go of her daughter and hurried off to the infirmary.

* * *

Falchion landed on Chrom's desk with a thud. Frederick did not recover, and he had just succumbed to his wounds. The queen now looked at the blade with watery eyes. The retainer to Falchion's wielder had one very important task that superseded almost any order. If the wielder of Falchion were to fall in battle, they were tasked with bringing the treasure back to Ylisstol no matter the cost or circumstance.

Chrom was dead. Their leader was dead. Her husband was dead.

A wet spot appeared on the desk followed quickly by another and Sumia slammed her palm against the table in anguish. How could he fall? He had beat back Walhart. He had defeated Gangrel after losing his sister. He was a titan of a man. How could he be gone?

Frederick's final words rang through her ears like a malicious echo. Betrayed. Who would betray them? She went over everyone on the mission, and she could not believe any of them would betray them. Besides, surely Robin would have noticed something was amiss even if he was feeling low lately. She just could not believe it, and yet, it seemed to be so.

"Mother?"

Sumia straightened up immediately and tried poorly to mask the fact she had been crying, "Lucina. Aren't you supposed to be in your room?"

"Why are you crying?"

"I, uh," Sumia wiped her cheeks hastily before pulling her daughter in for a hug, "I'm so sorry, Lucina. I'm so sorry."

"Mommy?" Lucina was definitely concerned now.

"I'm sorry, but…Mommy has to tell you something, okay?"

* * *

Lucina had not moved for what seemed like hours. She felt like she had been numb for days. Ever since her mother told her that her father was not coming home. She had only left her room for the small funeral they would be having. The state funeral would have to wait, but for now, Lucina stared numbly at the stone engraved with the mark in her eye. Lucina still could not believe it.

Her daddy was gone.

"Lucina?" Lucina did not turn to face her mother and remained transfixed on the stone.

"Lucina, it looks like it's about to rain soon."

"Why?" Lucina sniffled, "Why would someone want to kill him?"

Sumia sighed and knelt down and hugged her daughter, "Because he was a good man who wouldn't let evil people get what they wanted. We'll just have to try and continue where he left off. Can you do that for me? Can you be a strong girl?"

Lucina nodded into her mother's arms. As she stood there in her mother's embrace, she looked at another monument that had been quickly erected to honor the fallen Shepherds. She remembered what Sir Frederick had told her mother. Lucina thought that must have meant…that one of those heroes…was really a villain.

A villain Lucina wanted desperately to catch and bring to justice.

**A/N: Here is a go at how Lucina could know there was a (presumably unwilling) traitor yet didn't know who it was. If there were survivors to say there was a traitor, one would think they would know who it was. If they knew it wasn't by choice and wanted to protect their friend, then that still seems likely information Lissa might have shared when they came up with their eventual plan. In fact, that might make an interesting idea for a story where Lucina knows that Robin turns against his will and seeks to help him. Perhaps even trying to placate his loneliness. Maybe trying to set him up with other women until falling for him herself.**

** Anyway, not sure how many chapters this will be, but hopefully you'll enjoy it. The first few chapters actually aren't that heavy on the Lucina focus though. I'm also thinking of naming this story "The Edge of History" and renaming the Chrom one to "The Verge of History" with the potential Robin one named "The Precipice of History."**


	2. Chapter 2

All eyes landed on the sheathed Falchion lying on the center of the oblong table. No one wanted to be the first to speak. Lon'qu placed a hand on his wife's should while bowing his head in silent respect while Lissa placed her hand on top of her husband's as she struggled to accept reality. Sumia tried to look strong, but everyone knew how she must have been hurting. Even the usually boisterous Flavia seemed to be at a loss for words.

"So what now?" Lon'qu finally broke the silence.

"We make them pay!" Flavia punched her palm.

"Something easier said than done," Miriel adjusted her glasses, "We have lost the Fire Emblem. Even if we did have it, we would need someone to use Falchion as well."

All eyes then fell on Lissa who put her hands up, "Don't look at me. I could never get it to work when Chrom had me try it."

"Then it seems Lucina is the next logical choice."

"She's just a little girl!" Sumia did not even want to think about her baby girl facing off against that monster.

"We still need to know," Lon'qu spoke gruffly, "It will be some time before she would be old enough, but I will train her myself to make sure she is as ready as she can be."

"What about the Fire Emblem?" Maribelle reminded them, "We cannot hope to defeat that beast so long as it is in those miscreants' hands."

"I could probably snatch it," Gaius leaned forward, "It is kind of my thing after all."

"And what then?" Miriel asked, "With the Emblem, but without a way to use it, we essentially become more enticing targets for Grima."

Everyone paused a little at the mention of the dragon, "Has…has anyone seen it?" Lissa finally managed a whisper.

"My scouts claim to have seen it flying off the western coast. No idea why though."

"I doubt it plans to just leave us be," Lon'qu folded his arms.

"Indeed," Miriel concurred, "I suspect we can expect an increase in Risen activity as well as an increase in Plegian hostility even if Grima does not make a personal appearance. I would also suggest implementing mandatory cremation for the dead to prevent their being used as more Risen."

"That's…" Sumia did not really like the idea of enforcing such a thing.

"Hey, if Grima's away, sounds like the perfect time to strike," Gaius retorted.

"And bring the Fell Dragon's wrath down on us."

"Pardon me!" Maribelle broke through the forming chaos and address the queen, "What do you think we should do?"

"M-me?"

"You are the Queen."

"I-I just married in," The last thing Sumia wanted was to be in charge. Especially given the circumstances.

"But you are from a noble house. Until Lucina comes of age, you are in charge."

Exactly what she did not want, "I, um, I think we should hold off on taking back the Emblem. In the meantime, we should focus on securing our citizens. Speaking of which, we should make sure the children of the Shepherds we lost are tended to. They were our friends, and I know I'd want someone to take care of my girls."

"Most of them are already in Ylisstol," Maribell answered, "However, it may be difficult to locate Nowi and Donnel's daughter in this chaos."

"I want you to try at least. In the meantime, I suppose we need to prepare for the worst." Grima would essentially be given free reign until they had someone who could challenge the dragon. Sumia did not like it, but it looked like that someone might end up being her eldest.

* * *

"Hey, come on out!" Owain knocked loudly on the door, "You can't stay in there forever!"

"Owain," Lucina approached as her younger cousin went in for another knock, "Why don't you go cheer up Severa?"

"Hmm, is she sad too?" Owain was lucky. Both of his parents had survived, but that combined with his age meant he really did not grasp the pain some of them were feeling. Though, perhaps that was for the best. She found herself glad that Cynthia was too young to understand why daddy was never coming home.

"Yes, maybe you can cheer her up?" Owain and Severa had been good friends, but Severa, similarly to Gerome, had locked herself away after receiving news of her parents' deaths.

"Okay! I'll go do that!" And just like that, her cousin was running down the hall. Lucina doubted he would succeed, but Lucina wanted to get him away.

Once he was gone, Lucina faced the door herself, "Gerome? It's okay, he's gone now. I know you're sad, but I want to talk to you."

Lucina heard the door unlock followed by it opening just a crack. Inside, she saw a dark-haired boy who looked devastated. Much how Lucina had that morning, but she promised her mother she would be strong as well as herself that she would find out who killed her father. To do that though, she wanted help.

Gerome wiped his eyes. It was clear he had been crying. Lucina felt like she had cried so much the past few days that she had no tears left so she could relate.

"Thanks for making him go away." Owain meant well but was a bit lacking in tact.

"It's okay. Owain can be a bit annoying."

"What did you want?" Gerome asked meekly still not really feeling like talking.

"I want your help."

"Help with what?"

"Our parents were betrayed. I want to find whoever did it and make them pay."

"We're just kids though. What can we do?"

"That's why I need your help. I can't do it alone; your parents helped dad a lot. I was wondering if you could do the same for me. So that we can find whoever did this and make them pay! I want you to be my knight!"

"Your knight? But...but I'm not good for that."

"Maybe not yet, but we'll get stronger! Please. If not for me, then for our parents."

"I...don't know," Gerome shrunk back meekly, but before Lucina could say anything further, her mother found her.

"There you are, I've been looking all over for you," Sumia paused upon seeing the newly orphaned boy, "Gerome, how are you holding up?"

He simply shrunk even further under the queen's gaze in reply causing her brows to furrow, but she did not have time for that at the moment. They were already late.

"Come with me, Lucina," Sumia took her daughter's hand.

"Where are we going?" Lucina asked as she followed along behind her mother.

"To the training yard," Her mother answered, "To perform a test."

"What kind of test?"

"To see if...you can use you father's sword."

Lucina's mouth hung open slightly, and she voiced no more questions until they arrived at the training yard. They had done away with the usual opulence of the Falchion ceremony. Instead, there was a simple block of wood placed on the ground in the center of one of the training rings.

Lucina heard the sound of metal sliding out of a sheath. Looking to her mother, she saw her holding out Falchion, "Here."

Lucina cautiously touched the golden handle. She could hardly lift it as her mother shifted the weight to her daughter. Still, she was determined to use it. Sumia directed Lucina to the block of wood and told her to try and cut the wood. With some effort, Lucina lifted the blade up as high as she could. With shaky arms, Lucina dropped the blade on the block of wood.

Silence pervaded the training yard before Lucina opened one eye that she had closed and slowly peaked at the block of wood. It was cleaved cleanly in two. They had their Falchion wielder.

**A/N: I don't think I specified last time, but I am planning a weekly schedule for this. At least until I finish the rough drafts. To give you a measure of how far I am, I have started work on chapter five. I don't want to get stuck without anything to post and leaving my readers waiting for me to finish, so this regular schedule should hopefully prevent that. Plus, it lets me go back and adjust things before I put it out. Like how I adjusted chapter one to make Lucina seem older. Once the drafts are done, the updates will likely come faster.**

**And if you're wondering why I have Sumia as a noble, it comes from a support with Gaius. Maybe she isn't actually a noble, but maybe she is.**


	3. Chapter 3

Gaius dropped onto the stone floor barely making a sound. Sneaking into the Dragon's Table had not been too hard for someone as skilled as he was at…creatively entering places that the owners did not want him in. Compared to his journey just to get there, it was a piece of cake. Something he had not gotten much of since all of the rationing started. All the more reason for him to want Grima gone.

It was a bit eerie being where so many of his friends had presumably died. Part of him felt guilty that he did not die with them, but he knew that would not bring them back. Instead, he figured that the least he could do was avenge them by stealing the Fire Emblem back. The Emblem which appeared bizarrely unguarded in the inner sanctum of the Dragon's Table. It screamed "trap," but no amount of scanning revealed any guards or traps.

One tentative step led to another as Gaius cautiously approached the altar at the back of the room. In one swift motion, he grabbed the Fire Emblem. When he did not burst into flames or otherwise die a gruesome death, he breathed a sigh of relief before turning to abscond with the Emblem back to Ylisse.

"Woah!" Gaius stepped back when he turned around to find a figure standing there shrouded in some form of dark magic. However, the figure's glowing red eyes were still visible through the shadows, and they were looking at the Fire Emblem poking out of Gaius' satchel.

"Thief," A distorted voice accused and pointed at the Emblem.

"Technically," Gaius was getting ready to bolt as he spoke, "I don't think it was yours to begin with." With that, he darted forward only to be immediately stopped by a hand to his throat. That shadowy stuff burned.

The figure reached into the satchel slowly and grabbed the Emblem, "It is now." With the slightest movement, a slight snap could be heard before Gaius' lifeless body fell to the cold floor. With a snap, Grima summoned servants to take care of the corpse. In the meantime, the Fell Dragon eyed the Fire Emblem.

Grima decided that it would not do to allow for such a vulnerable target in the future. Grima decided that some of the gemstones would be removed and taken elsewhere. However, before that, those Ylisseans would pay for this treachery. It was time to give them a taste of just how helpless they truly were.

* * *

"Hiyah!" Lucina yelled as she dislodged Gerome's axe from his grasp leaving the squire defenseless.

"Not bad," Lon'qu grunted, "But your stance is too narrow."

"Sorry, uncle Lon'qu," Lucina internally berated herself for such a mistake.

"Don't apologize. Simply don't do it again."

"Right," Lucina nodded before determinately going back at it. Over the past few years, she had honed herself into a rather competent fighter, but she still had some ways yet to go. Then, there was only so much that could be learned through training alone. Experience would, unfortunately, have to teach her the rest.

Looking at the others, it was clear that the children of the Shepherds were skilled albeit inexperienced. They lacked the discipline of trained soldiers. Understandable given their age, but it would take discipline to survive in what was becoming of the world. They were sheltered from it for the most part, but Lon'qu had been on the missions. He had seen the undead walking.

The princess was their last best hope now, but what a hope she was. Despite her age and slight build, she was already advancing well beyond her peers. Her lack of weight to put behind her attacks was a weakness, but it was one that Lon'qu himself had some experience with. Unfortunately, she was a little too devoted to her father's brute force approach. Not that Chrom was not a master swordsman in his own right, but he had massive strength which he used to his advantage. Lucina, while stronger than she looked, lacked his same raw power, and it was something she would have to accept to reach her full potential.

The others, despite being younger, were also proving themselves capable. Gerome had put his fears aside to assist Lucina in her mission even if he remained a distant induvial. His skills with an axe and his bond with Minerva – who had managed to escape the Dragon's Table with her deceased rider – made him a combatant to be feared in the future.

Owain was another up and coming star despite his boisterous nature. Lon'qu made sure his son would know how to defend himself subjecting him to intense training regiments. To some, that might have appeared cold and borderline cruel, but Lon'qu fully intended for Owain to outlive him, and he knew that surviving would get harder before it got easier. Owain, for his part, took it all in stride, and it may have even fed his hero complex.

Severa and Inigo also became capable opponents. The two quickly became some of the better sword fighters around along with Lucina and Owain though they were still a few levels off from them. For the most part, Lon'qu focused on training them with swords – and axes in Gerome's case – while other weapons were handled by others. He knew that Sumia taught Gerome the basics of flying which was about all he needed before he started soaring while she had also taught some lance basics to Cynthia though her training remained limited due to being one of the youngest of the children.

"Sir Lon'qu!" A soldier ran up to the swordsman looking visibly shaken, "The queen requests your presence immediately."

Lon'qu narrowed his eyes, "Continue your drills," He ordered the children who were staring now.

"You heard him!" Lucina got their attention, "We have to keep training!" The kids got the message and got back to work. Despite her own words though, Lucina could not help but eye Lon'qu's retreating figure and wonder what exactly was going on.

* * *

"This is suicide!" Lon'qu growled even as Sumia prepared her mount for battle. She had traded her usual combat attire for an ornate white and blue armor emblazed with the brand of the Exalt. It was truly armor fit for a queen and meant to embolden the troops, but it would do little to encourage the people adorning her corpse.

"That may be, but I can't sit by and do nothing," Sumia told them sternly. A far cry from the bashful cadet that almost did not make the cut. They had received word that Grima had finally mobilized. Strangely, the Fell Dragon did not seem to be headed for Ylisstol, but rather another city to the east. It was an ancient city named after the hero king himself. It was a cultural center of Ylisse. Losing it would be a devastating blow to morale.

"Surely you do not hope to turn back the Fell Dragon," Lon'qu did not budge. He may not have shown it well, but he valued the family he had married into. He was not keen on seeing a sister march to her death.

"No," Sumia held no delusions that she could halt Grima's advance; she merely sought to buy time for the evacuation, "But maybe I can be an enticing enough target to buy them some time."

"What about Lucina and Cynthia though?" Lissa was the one who spoke that time having already lost two siblings, she did not want to lose another.

Sumia smiled sadly, "Lucina's a strong girl, and she has you to look out for her. I know she'll take care of Cynthia and Ylisse." She just wished she would be able to see it.

"At least tell them goodbye," Lon'qu countered betting that she could not look them in the face and still leave, but the queen knew that.

"I can't. I wouldn't be able to. Please, Lissa, Lon'qu, take care of them, and…tell them mommy loves them. Always."

"Of course," Lissa nodded solemnly.

Lon'qu meanwhile snarled, but in the end he relented, "Very well." Lon'qu stuck out his hand. A rare gesture from the swordsman. Especially to a woman – he had come a long way, but he was still slightly uneasy around most that were not family. Sumia smiled and shook his hand, "It's been a pleasure and an honor."

Sumia pulled him and Lissa into a hug which took him off guard at first, "Ditto."

* * *

Sumia gripped the ancient lance tightly. It was a national treasure much less famous than Falchion. Affectionately nicked named the Spear of Queens, Sumia carried an ancient Wing Spear rumored to be the weapon of choice for the Hero King's Queen; perhaps even the very same as she used. Sumia had no idea how well it would hold up after so many years, but she hoped the rumors of slight enchantments held true.

The queen looked behind her at the small force of knights that had volunteered for this mission knowing it was one way. Then she looked at the horde of Risen in front of them with the Fell Dragon's silhouette darkening the sky above the clouds. She really wished Chrom was here. She was not the charismatic leader he was, and rallying the troops really was something he could do like few others. She also would have felt better with one of Robin's genius plans, but she was what they had.

Stretching her lance arm forward, Sumia settled for a simple battle cry, "For Ylisse!"

It seemed effective enough as the small force roared forward toward the enemy. They were greatly outnumbered, but as the Fell Dragon's gaze fell on them rather than the city, Sumia knew her ploy had worked.

Emboldened, she pressed the attack making sure to use their mobility to keep from getting pinned down. She had picked up something from those years of sitting there half-asleep as Robin explained his strategies well into the night. It was actually going better than she expected. It was going too well in fact. Something she did not pick up on until she felt something knocked the wind from her as something picked her up by the neck as her pegasus kept flying.

"How good of you to visit me in person, _your majesty_," The title came out as sheer mockery from the shadowy figure with piercing red eyes, "Come to swear your fealty to your new god in person?"

"You're no god!" Sumia croaked out defiantly, "You're nothing but a monster. Chrom, Frederick, Robin, everyone. Their blood is on your hands!"

"'Robin,'" Grima laughed and dropped the queen. Fortunately, she had not been too high up, but it still hurt, "You mourn for that worm?"

"He was my friend!" Sumia used her lance to help make up for her likely broken leg she also signaled for her pegasus to retreat which did not go unnoticed by Grima. The Fell Dragon simply did not care.

Grima let out a bone chilling cackle in response to her declaration, "And see what that got you?" Seeing the look of confusion on the queen's face, Grima laughed even harder, "Frederick didn't tell you, did he? Well, to be fair, he did seem to be missing a fair chunk of his abdomen. Guess he was just too stubborn to lie down and die like most of you pathetic creatures.

"Behold, the face of your so-called friend!" The shadows parted from the figures face revealing a very pale Robin with glowing red eyes.

"N-no!" Sumia faltered.

"Yes! Chrom never stood a chance as I stabbed him in the gut. Of course, the lightning cartelized the wound. He lived for some time. Before I crushed his skull under my boot that is."

"You monster!" Sumia lunged at Grima with the wing spear only for Grima to catch it under the head and snap it off with ease. Flipping the tip in one quick motion, Grima stabbed the tip of the ancient lance into Sumia's shoulder making her cry out in pain.

"Don't you see," Grima leaned down and she peered into those gleaming red eyes, "You can't hope to beat me." Grima raised a hand and snapped two fingers at which point the dragon in the sky showered the city gates with fell flames. Sumia's eyes went wide with horror as the city was overrun by the undead.

"I am the wings of despair, I am the breath of ruin, I am the Fell Dragon Grima! And you," Grima situated a boot on her throat, "You are an insect to be squashed."

* * *

Grima dragged the queen's corpse by the arm back to where Aversa was waiting, "Prepare my equipment."

"Mmm," The dark flier smirked cruelly, "With pleasure."

Grima did not respond. Aversa lived on account of being useful, not out of favor. Possessing a human body afforded Grima the ability to directly continue some research long forgotten by most. Most believed that the Risen were reanimated through Grima's power. It was an assumption Grima was more than content to allow to persist, but it was actually a handy insect that did the dirty work. Of course, Grima could control them en masse, but only very special "Risen" were created with Grima's own power. Even then, it was not a true resurrection as that laid beyond even Grima's might.

Aversa quirked a brow though to see that the Risen hordes were not advancing toward Ylisstol, "Master, why are we not pressing the attack?"

"Because I say we aren't," Grima responded agitatedly.

"But we have them on the run. We can crush gah!" Avera was cut off by a shadowy hand to her throat. Once it was clear she got the message, Grima released her.

"A quick death is too kind for these insects. Let them sweat it out. Let them starve and turn on each other, let them give into despair first. In the meantime, I have a score to settle with Valm."

"O-of course, master," Aversa rubbed her throat and quickly set off to get a Risen mask leaving Grima alone.

Once Aversa was gone, Grima snarled and grabbed the hand grasping the queen's arm as it shook, "Still?" The shaking quickly subsided, but it was still irksome to the Fell Dragon. That was another reason Grima was not pressing the attack. For reasons that Grima could not quite grasp, the Fell Dragon had not risen to its full power yet. Something was holding Grima back, and Grima's leading suspect was the reliance on such a pathetic vessel.

"No matter," Grima spoke surveying the city as screams emanated from it, "I am still more than strong enough to crush these mortals." It was troubling that Frederick had apparently made it back to Ylisstol with Falchion, but with Chrom gone, Grima did not see it as much of a threat. Still though, Grima decided that it might be prudent to pay little Lucina a visit before she tried anything reckless.

* * *

Lon'qu led Lucina, Owain, Gerome, Severa, and Inigo along the city walls allowing them to get a feel for what the soldiers did. It mostly consisted of sniping stray Risen that ventured too close to the city as things had not gotten too bad around the capitol. No, most of the strife came from all the people in such a small space.

Their brief tour was interrupted by a pegasus bearing Ylisse's colors flew overhead with no rider.

"Mother?" Lucina recognized that pegasus.

"Sir Lon'qu," A guard ran up to the group, "Emergency at the East Gate."

"Get back to the castle," Lon'qu ordered.

"But…"

"Now!"

Lucina hesitated before running back with the others leaving Lon'qu to follow the guard. Once they arrived at the gate, no explanation was necessary. The guards were in utter shock, and it was easy to see why. There was a lone Risen approaching…in blue and white pegasus armor. Lon'qu's knuckles turned white on the hilt of his blade. That monster.

"Open the outer gate."

"Sir?"

"I'll handle this," Lon'qu quickly descended the ladder down into the gate house waiting for them to follow his orders. Soon, the gate opened and Lon'qu went to meet the lone Risen. With a look of utter disgust, he approached the weakly wheezing abomination – Grima had taken care to make sure the body was still usable after suffocating her.

"You deserved better than this, my friend."

With a swift motion, Lon'qu easily beheaded the shambling Risen and watched as it faded into purple smoke. Lon'qu looked toward the eastern horizon. Grima had sent a message. They were insects to the Fell Dragon.

**A/N: I think this might be my favorite chapter so far. **


	4. Chapter 4

"Hold the gate!" Lon'qu turned around as the guards obeyed their princess.

"What are you doing here?" If Lucina had been dedicated to her training before, after Sumia's death, her dedication had become almost an obsession. In that time, she had learned to use her speed to her advantage now being able to defeat every guard in the city with her skill. She was truly at Shepherd level now though it had come at the cost of a lot of her social development.

"I'm going with you," Lucina replied matter-of-factly. She was indeed decked out in full battle gear, but that was hardly out of the ordinary. She rarely wore anything else. The only accessories that adorned her being the royal tiara she had been gifted in her youth and the cape meant to help inspire her people.

"This is not some training exercise," They were about to set out on a rescue mission. Over the past couple of years, the Risen had gotten progressively worse, and the miasma they spewed seemed to choke the very land itself. The entire halidom had a very bleak outlook at this point, and their princess was about the only thing that gave them much hope anymore.

"I am well aware of this," Lucina replied undeterred, "And I'm coming with you."

"We cannot afford to lose another royal. You are the people's hope."

"And what good am I if I am never seen? I would rather be out there helping people directly. Besides, how can I empathize with my people if I do not know what they are suffering?"

Lon'qu growled, "Fine. You're with me."

"Thank you," Lucina nodded politely before falling into position behind her uncle. She could be just as hardheaded as both of her parents if not more so. Lon'qu was not happy about her presence certainly, but he also could not help but smirk ever so slightly. She definitely had not fallen too far from the tree.

Their expedition exited the city walls and started heading southeast. Their main goal was to find and help survivors. Sometimes that was in the form of reassurance that they were not forgotten, but more and more frequently it meant protecting them from Risen and taking in refugees. Their resources were already being stretched thin, but Lucina believed it would have been what her father would have done. Already they were converting as much of the castle grounds as they could to farmland, but water would still be an issue. It was something lady Miriel was hard at work trying to solve.

Lucina had personally forsaken a meal a day to help with the rationing despite protests from her aunt, uncle, and pretty much everyone else. She did it anyway. She did not like the idea of asking her people to do something she was unwilling to do.

The area surrounding Ylisstol was still relatively untouched, but the military was only able to defend so much. Ever since Grima's attack, their forces had been weakened. Fortunately, the Risen were uncoordinated and relatively easy to route so long as their numbers did not grow out of control. Still, they had lost land, and a lot of people.

By the end of the second day of travel, the devastation became more apparent. The area around the Lost City as it had become known was very much lost. The area had become a haven of Risen. That part of the country was avoided at all costs, but it had also created quite the obstacle in getting to parts of the country as the Risen spread out along their defensive line. Fortunately, the southeastern portion of the country faired better.

That was where they were headed. While that area was not as overrun, Themis was not as well equipped to defend from the Risen, and they were already concerned by being so close to Plegia. For reasons unknown, Plegia had not launched an offensive. In fact, the desert nation remained eerily quiet. Rumors abounded that most of the nation sat empty save for the roaming dead and Grimleal having been some of the first to feel Grima's fire. How much truth there was to these rumors was unknown, but the fact remained that little came from Plegia other than stray Risen. However, the sense of fear lingered. Perhaps magnified by the utter desolation of that land.

Their destination lay past Themis, however, even if they were forced to go the long way around to avoid the Lost City and the domain of the dead. It was during this trip that Lucina first came face to face with a Risen. They were just as repugnant as she had imagined. The foul miasma they spewed reeking of death and the ichor they spewed spoke to the corruption that had befallen those poor people.

Lucina remembered her lessons well though. She aimed for the head when possible, and she made sure that they were defeated. Their resilience was intense, but luckily for them, they were also mostly mindless. Lucina made swift work of the stragglers she dealt with.

It also gave her a rare opportunity to see her uncle in actual combat. He lived up to the stories and then some. His sword was such a blur that someone with less honed eyes might have missed his movement entirely. After all these years, he had not seemed to slip at all. Even his old injury did not seem to slow him down much. According to what she had heard, Lon'qu sustained that injury fighting her father in Arena Ferox when he tried to secure an alliance. Lissa had tried to tend to it, but his fear of women led to him avoiding her. By the time he did get it looked at, it would not heal properly.

As they made their rounds around the villages, they found people struggling to hold out. However, knowing their Exalt was there to help them did bring them hope. Lucina was forced to wonder how long it would last though. However, she refused to give up hope. So long as she drew breath and held the mighty Falchion, she refused to roll over and die.

Near the end of their tour, they approached one last village. This village had found itself in the unfortunate situation of being swarmed by the undead. Their group immediately sprung into battle against the small horde, but they were considerably more than the small pockets Lucina had dealt with prior. She had no idea why there were so many when they mostly stayed near the Lost City.

As they prepared to defend the village, a girl with dark hair ran past Lucina.

"Hey!" Lucina reached after the girl, "Get back inside the town!"

However, the girl did not respond, instead, she lifted up a green stone before being engulfed in a bright light. When Lucina uncovered her eyes, instead of a young girl, she saw a dragon. With a roll of her long neck the dragon started spewing flames over the undead.

"Could it be?" Lucina looked over to her uncle who looked uncharacteristically awe-struck. He seemed to know something she did not, but Lucina decided that could wait as some of the Risen stumbled through past the fire.

"Hah!" Lucina yelled as she soundly cleaved the head from the corpse. Fortunately, Risen without weapons were relatively easy to dispatch. Though, Lucina wondered as it dissipated into miasma who the individual had been in life before shaking such thoughts away. They would only make life harder.

Instead, she turned her attention to the dragon girl. Lon'qu beat her to the punch though.

"You," Her uncle eyed the girl, "You're Nah, aren't you?"

"I…yes," The girl looked at the man suspiciously, "How do you know that?"

"I was an…acquaintance of your parents. I even helped train your father a little."

"You knew my parents?" The girl seemed stunned to find anyone that did.

"Yes. We tried to find you, but your village had been destroyed. We presumed you were dead."

"Oh," Nah's ears fell along with her expression, "Bandits showed up while mom and dad were away. Grandma got me out, but she was hurt. She was barely able to get me to the nearest village where I ended up in an orphanage."

"Hmm," Lon'qu stared at the young woman, "Well, you can come with us now if you want."

"Really?" She perked back up.

"Yes, you are the daughter of our comrades. That is, if Lucina doesn't mind."

Lon'qu looked to his niece who smiled and nodded, "Of course not. Welcome to the team, Nah."

"Now, we can chat on the road. We need to get back."

"Right," Lucina nodded, and their little group prepared to head out. Nah grabbed what little she had to take with them, and they departed for the capitol.

* * *

The weary travelers had barely set foot inside the castle when they were beset by Lissa. Having been foretold by a messenger of Nah being with them, Lissa did not waste the opportunity to relish in some rare good news.

"Oh! You've grown!" Lissa squeezed the young half-manakete, "I haven't seen you since…well, actually, I never saw you."

"Please…let me down," Nah wheezed.

"Oh, sorry," Lissa dropped the girl, "We just rarely get good news around here. My name is Lissa. The grumpy man is my husband, and the grumpy woman is my niece."

"Er, pleasure to meet you," Nah held out her hand. A somewhat unusual gesture for one her age, but Lissa took it with a smile anyway, "Who are they?"

Lissa looked behind herself to where the kids had gathered to greet Lucina and Lon'qu but had been mostly transfixed by the newcomer.

"Oh, allow me to introduce you." Lissa pulled her son over and proudly displayed him with her hands on his shoulders, "This is my son, Owain."

"Greetings! Fellow scion of legend!" Owain flared before striking a pose leaving Nah in shock.

"Oh, don't mind him," Lissa grinned, "That's just how he is."

"H-hi?"

LIssa then went on to make the rest of the introductions. Once she was done, Owain was the first to speak, "What's with your ears?"

The swordsman grunted when Severa elbowed him in the gut, "Ignore him."

"I just wanted to know," Owain gasped holding his stomach.

"Oh, Nah here is half manakete," Lissa explained, "Isn't that cool?"

"You can turn into a dragon?" Cynthia stepped toward the front of the pack with a look of awe.

"Umm, yeah," Nah fumbled with her fingers with her mind going back to years of being shunned for that fact.

"That's awesome!" Cynthia cried, "I wish I could do that!"

"You…do?"

"Why wouldn't I? That must be so cool. Tell me all about it!"

As the others started to absorb Nah into their ranks, Gerome stepped over and approached Lucina, "Going on this mission was careless."

"I am fine, thank you."

"I would know if you weren't," Gerome rebutted, "Your safety is far too important to risk on a simple mission."

"I would hardly call it a pointless risk though," Lucina whispered as they walked off, but she looked to the happy group behind her, "We brought a small amount of happiness back with us, we helped people, and I got real combat experience."

"All the same, it is dangerous," Gerome folded his arms, "I did not agree to this role so that you could throw your life away."

"If you are so concerned, then you can come with me next time."

"Next time?" Gerome quirked a brow.

"Yes, next time. I will not sit by while the world falls apart around us. Besides, I need real world experience if I am ever to hope to best Grima." Lucina replied before walking off to her room to freshen up a bit before retiring for the evening, "Rest well, Gerome, and as always, thank you for your concern."

Gerome was left to grumble as his liege left. Much like his father, he was left looking after an Exalt who would not stop going on missions simply because it was dangerous.


	5. Chapter 5

"Take this, undead scum!" Owain struck a pose, "Blue Flame Inferno!" Owain brought his blade down on the Risen, cleaving it nearly in twain, however, he was not watching out for other attackers.

"Pay attention, loser!" Severa stabbed the charging Risen through the eye socket, "Really, how are you still alive?"

Owain flashed her a grin, "The answer is simple. The blood of heroes flowing through my veins in addition to pure, raw skill and years of training."

"Dumb luck might be more like it," Severa muttered under her breath.

"Perhaps you would be better off focusing rather than bickering," Laurent spoke coolly as he set a pair of the undead ablaze. He did not accompany them on missions as much as the others as his time was divided between the team and research with his mother. Still, he was a formidable mage. However, his close ranged abilities were lacking which made the Risen that had got through his magic concerning.

"Inigo!" Lucina yelled, "Cover Laurent while he casts!"

"Anything for you," Inigo winked at the royal before expertly cutting the Risen's arms off followed by its head. He may have been a flirt, but he was a flirt that was an expert with the sword.

"Behold! The wings of justice!" A voice from the sky heralded a pegasus rider knocking an undead pegasus knight out of the sky. Once done, the bluenette hovered closer to the ground with a massive grin, "Pretty neat, huh?" Just as she finished, a hand axe flew past her and into the head of a Risen she had missed.

"Stay focused," Gerome grumbled before returning his attention to protecting his main liege.

"R-right," Cynthia spurred her mother's pegasus back into action.

"Gah!" Yarne collapsed as a Risen crushed one of his front legs with a club. At least it was not a bladed weapon. They were often in such poor condition that infection could be very likely.

Brady quickly spurred into action healing the fractured arm, but not before being beset by another Risen. "I'm working here!" Brady yelled and beat the undead in the head with the butt of his staff. It bought him just enough time for Lucina to dash through spinning her body and cleaning severing its head before moving on to take out more of them.

Lon'qu kept his distance as he observed. The line between elite fighting team and disorganized bunch of weirdos that they so finely walked reminded him very much of the old Shepherds. They had refused to take the name though feeling that they were unworthy. If only they had seen them in their early days.

A roar could be heard off to the side. Fortunately, it was on their side. Nah still struggled to fully control her draconic impulses, so she was given a wide berth. Wide enough to avoid her accidentally hurting one of them, but not so wide that they could not help her if she needed it.

The others certainly had their flaws too. Owain and Cynthia were too hung up on theatrics. Gerome was not a great team player. Inigo was a flirt. Yarne was too preoccupied with his own safety. Severa had a very prickly personality. Laurent was not a full-time soldier, and, much like Brady, was not the most physically fit individual. Then there was Lucina who often overextended herself.

Despite their flaws, they proved to be the best they had. Much like their parents before them. It was believed that when the time came, they would be by Lucina's side when she faced down the Fell Dragon for the fate of the world. Ylisse's elite ready to carve a way forward.

However, that was still some ways off. Mainly, they would have to reclaim the Fire Emblem. Considering that Gaius had failed in this, it was certainly an obstacle. They and Flavia had even received word that the Emblem had been separated. That was troubling, but they still kept their ears peeled for any helpful information.

"Well done," Lon'qu walked up after they finished off the last of the Risen, "You could use a little tightening around the traces, but," The older man smirked, "Not bad."

As the sun started to set that evening, the group made camp. They ate a meager meal of rations and whatever they could scrounge together. The ashes from the west were getting closer, and the weather was getting colder. Their already strained crops were getting worse.

"I'm going to take first watch," Lon'qu stood after finishing his rations.

"I'll go with you!" Owain quickly scarfed the remnants of his meal. His father looked at him for a moment before nodding. As the father and son left, it left the others to chat around the fire.

"So, do you guys really think we can do it?" Cynthia asked in a rare showing of seriousness, "Defeat Grima I mean."

Lucina opened her mouth to respond, but Severa beat her to it, "Pah! That overgrown lizard? Lucina will make short work of it. Won't you?" Lucina did not respond, but that did not deter the younger woman, "I'm more concerned with what we'll do afterward."

"You mean what you and Owain will do," Cynthia corrected with a grin earning a blush from Severa.

"W-what? Wh-who told you something ridiculous like that?"

"Hmm, so it _is_ true?" Laurent adjusted his glasses, "Fascinating."

"H-hey, well what about our fearless leader," Sever desperately tried to shift the focus, "I don't suppose the rumors about you and Mr. Mysterious are true."

Gerome almost imperceptibly raised his brow and Lucina looked on in confusion, "I don't know what you're talking about." She was not playing dumb either. She had no idea about any such rumors, but the idea that she and her loyal knight were an item had spread in the gossip circles.

"Oh, come on, Lucy," Cynthia had a vested interest in finding out if said rumors were true, "Don't play dumb."

"I'm not pretending at anything," Lucina grew frustrated, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Ah, give it a rest," Inigo came to her rescue, "Lucina doesn't have a romantic bone in her body. I would know."

"I prefer to focus on the more pressing matters of saving our world," Lucina huffed defensively.

"You mean to tell me that you never even think about after Grima's gone?" Severa raised a brow.

"I'll worry about that when the time comes."

"Wow, we need to get you a hobby. Or a man."

"I think I'll go on watch myself," Lucina stood having had enough of this.

"Hey," Cynthia jumped back in, "It's just some friendly teasing. Don't–"

"Help!" Everyone's attention was grabbed by Owain frantically running back to camp where Lucina caught him by the shoulders. He looked visibly worn. He had been in a fight.

"Owain! What happened?"

"They came out of nowhere! We tried to fight them off, but-but dad told me to run while he held them off."

"Where are they?" Lucina demanded.

"T-that way," Owain pointed.

"Brady, patch him up," Lucina ordered as she ran off in the direction Owain pointed without a second thought. Lucina could hear others following her, but she did not care if they did or not. She was on a war path now.

* * *

Lon'qu spit out blood before wiping his mouth on his sleeve. It had been a long time since he had seriously fought other humans. Breaking the arrow shaft in his shoulder, the swordmaster wondered if perhaps he was getting slow in his old age. No matter, he would not let them past so long as he drew breath.

Bodies laid around him. Grimleal by the looks of it. He was a bit surprised to see them acting after so long. Did it herald a shift in Grima's focus? He did not know, but he readied himself and prepared to fight off the two remaining attackers.

However, he never had to as a blue blur came in slashing at his attackers. In seconds, one of them was beheaded. The second stood no chance as Lucina turned quickly and impaled him through the heart.

"Not bad," Lon'qu coughed garnering Lucina's full attention.

"Uncle!" Lucina supported him as his legs gave out, "Hold on. I need to get you to Brady."

"Don't bother," Lon'qu groaned, "I'll never make it."

"Don't talk like that!" Lucina yelled as she drug him a few inches, "I've already lost mother and father, don't you dare die too. Think of your son, of aunt Lissa!"

"Sorry, but I can't will my flesh to close," The man grunted, "You'll do fine, kid. You're a fighter. Your parents would be proud." Lon'qu paused to cough up more blood. Lucina continued to drag him along as his face grew deathly pale, "An you're just as stubborn. Tell Lissa…that I didn't deserve her, and make sure that Owain…doesn't blame himself and that…I'm proud of him."

"Tell them yourself!" Lucina ordered by Lon'qu grabbed her collar with what remained of his strength and looked her in the eyes.

"Promise me!"

Lucina looked at him as her eyes began to water, but she bit back her emotions and nodded, "I promise."

"Good," The expended warrior collapsed, "Good."

"Lucina!" Gerome was the first on the scene even after having to remount Minerva. However, his questions as to her condition died in his throat as he saw her cradling the deceased sword master in her arms. He knew better than to question her at that point.

Lucina blocked them out as the others arrived. At least, until Owain arrived. Lucina looked up at him sorrowfully as he fell to his knees before his father's body. Severa silently put a hand on his shoulder as he grieved.

"He…" Lucina started quietly, "He wanted you to know that…he was proud of you, Owain, and he did not want you to blame yourself for this."

Her cousin did not speak a word, and Lucina eventually gestured to give him some space. All complied except for Severa who remained by his side. Lucina spared her mentor and uncle a sidelong glance before setting out to keep watch with the others.

**A/N: Unfortunately, the next chapter is behind schedule. I did make some good headway recently though and it is going to be one of the longest chapters. There also isn't much left after that. **

**Though, I'm not sure this story has done as well as the Chrom story. Perhaps its the weekly update schedule. **


	6. Chapter 6

In the burning ruins of what was said to be the birthplace of the other ancient hero king stood a shadowy figure not bothered by the lack of life in the town. In fact, the figure quite enjoyed the peace as it approached a statue in the town square.

It was a statue of the first king and queen of the united Valentia. The figure scoffed at the title. For as long as that lasted. Of course, humans were petty creatures so it was unsurprising that both sides of the Long Sea saw empires crumble under their own weight.

Still, it was a fair likeness. A few things were off though. For one, the queen's hair had been styled differently, and both of their clothes had been dramatically different. The figure knew, because these two so called heroes had invaded a place they had no business being and fought something they did not understand.

The figure punched the statue causing it to crumble. Catching the head of the statue of the king, the figure held it up to see the burning town, "See all that you worked for burning? No, of course not. You are long dead. I never even knew the names of my attackers at the time, but now I know. _Alm. Celica_. Now, I recognize the power that allowed you to seal me away all those years ago. Naga just loves to meddle, doesn't she?"

Grima crushed the stonework, "No matter. Your Falchion is long lost to history. I made sure of it. Now, there is only one weapon that I need concern myself with, and it's high time I paid its wielder a visit. After all, it's her birthday soon."

* * *

Lucina sat in the throne room. It felt so empty. It remained one of the cleanest places in the whole country at this point, but that just made it feel so foreign. Her gaze caught the stained-glass window portraying the ancient Hero King with Falchion held high. Oh, how she longed for just a portion of his strength and courage.

"Hey, Lucy?" Lucina turned as her sister entered, but she seemed to get distracted by the window.

"I'm not sure I'll ever get used to that. To think, we're related to the most heroic of heroes whose mere name gives people hope. It's a lot to live up to, isn't it?"

Lucina sighed. Her sister had a tendency to get side tracked, and Lucina really did not want to be reminded of her burden, or what she had to live up to, "What did you come for?"

"Oh, yeah, Tiki's here."

"She is?" Lucina narrowed her eyes. If she was here, then that must have meant that Valm was lost. If that was the case, then their time of relative peace was likely at an end. Standing, Lucina made for the exit, "Take me to her."

* * *

In the deserts of Plegia, several cultists stood on a dune over a vast plain covered in sigils now. With outstretched hands, they chanted ominously in an ancient tongue. As their hands started to glow, so did the sigils. After several minutes of increasing intensity, it suddenly stopped.

Then a tower of light came from each sigil. When the light dissipated, a Risen stood in its place. They then marched away clearing the transportation sigil for another use. These were corpses from Grima's conquest of Valm. With so many bodies from the devastation, Grima now had a massive army to crush the Ylisseans and Feroxi.

Dark thunder clouds rolled in from the west as the Grimleal oversaw the process, and in the shadows cast by the lightning, the form of their master could be seen approaching.

* * *

Lucina sat at the same table that her mother had once sat at shortly after her father's death. She listened as Tiki gave her report of the fall of Valm. The people there had put up quite the fight, but in the end, they were no match for the undead hordes. Their losses soon spiraled out of control as their own dead filled their enemy's ranks. Tiki stayed as long as she could before being forced to flee herself.

Lucina rested her chin on her fist wrapped in her hand. The message was clear. Grima was done with the appetizer, and they were likely next.

"Lady Maribelle," Lucina finally spoke, "What is the status of Themis' defenses?"

"We have been preparing to defend against an attack since this began," It had been, after all, the reason she had not been a part of Chrom's expedition. She had stayed behind to make sure they were ready for an attack. An attack that had not come. "We have not heard hide nor hair from the Plegians in years though."

"I fear that may be about to change."

The noblewoman nodded, "I will return to make sure we are as ready as can be."

"Thank you," Lucina returned the gesture. "Miriel, how is your research into the Risen going?"

"Poorly, I'm afraid," Miriel adjusted her spectacles, "Samples are unusually hard to come by. It seemed that Henry could manage to acquire samples, but I never deciphered how. Unfortunately, we do not have a dark mage of remotely his caliber. It also seems that they self-terminate if we ever capture one."

"Keep trying. If we can figure out a way to stop them, then perhaps we'll be able to gain an edge." Lucina shifted her gaze to a guard sitting at the table clearly uncomfortable with being at such a distinguished table, "Captain Johnathan, how are Ylisstol's defenses looking?"

"Fair, milady, but our resources are stretched a bit thin with such an overcrowded population."

"Do your best to make do."

"Yes, Ma'am," He saluted before going quiet hoping not to be called on again.

"What of morale?"

"The people are nervous," Lissa answered, "Nerves are frayed. The situation is bad, and…" Lissa trailed off.

"The people are unsure of their young Exalt," Lucina finished for her.

"It's not that they don't like you," Lissa quickly replied, "But after Emmeryn and Chrom, they're not sure anyone can save them anymore."

"I'm not sure if I can, but," Lucina sighed dreading the next topic, "What of the Fire Emblem? We will need it to end this conflict. If we are to ever defeat this threat, Grima must be dealt with."

"I may be able to help with that."

"Lady Tiki, please, tell us all that you know."

"I do not know the specifics, but I can feel that the Emblem is no longer in one piece. I would surmise that it was split apart after the failed attempt to recover it. Given time and meditation, I may be able to narrow down where the Emblem and gemstones are being kept."

"I would appreciate any help you could provide," Lucina nodded, "In the meantime, I suggest we prepare for a battle. No, a war."

* * *

Lucina bore an unfortunately serious expression as she walked through the castle corridors. She was in an exceptionally foul mood as she searched out the one member of her team that had not heeded her summons. Normally she put up with his forgetfulness, but she was not in the mood for it today.

The Exalt arrived at the door to Miriel's laboratory, but she did not bother knocking. Inside, she found what she expected to find: Miriel and Laurent doing research that was far over her head. Laurent was so wrapped up in it that he did not notice the Exalt forcing her to clear her throat to get his attention.

"Ah, the Exalt," Miriel stopped, "What can I do for you?"

"I'm actually here for Laurent, Ma'am."

"Ah, well, in that case, I shall see you when you are done. Do not keep the Exalt waiting."

"Right," Laurent closed a tome and silently followed Lucina out. She did not speak until they were a few turns away from the laboratory at which point she turned to him.

"You were late."

"My apologies, I got distracted."

"You do that a lot," Lucina accused, "We are getting close to something big, Laurent. I need you focused on one task." Lucina sighed, "I need you to choose: the team, or your research."

Laurent was too stunned to answer then, "We have a meeting now," Lucina reaffirmed, "One I am not looking forward to, but I expect your answer by the end of the day."

"Yes, your majesty."

Lucina gave him a look before continuing to the rendezvous point with the mage following quietly behind. She did not like being so harsh, but she did not think that this was the time to be soft.

* * *

Lucina stood in front of her elite troops as they waited for her to say something. Her eyes fell on Brady as she finally spoke, "Themis has fallen. I received word this morning. They were overrun by Risen. There were few survivors."

"W-what about ma?" Brady trembled at the news, but Lucina could merely shake her head.

"She was not among them. The reports indicate that she stayed behind to order the evacuation. I'm sorry, Brady."

"So…what now?" Inigo spoke up after a few moments.

Lucina looked him in the eye solemnly, "The Risen are going from town to town for now. We're trying to harbor as many people as we can, but we're already stressing our resources to their limits. For now, we have to assume that they are coming here."

"Then we should get out of here," Yarne spoke timidly.

"No!" Lucina rebutted instantly, "Where would we go? Ylisstol is a fortress. Out there, we'd be practically defenseless, and that's saying nothing for the people. No, we stay and fight."

"Lucy…" Cynthia started sadly, "I'm all for heroic last stands, but…"

"This is suicide!" Severa exclaimed.

"Perhaps, but until lady Tiki can divine the locations of the Fire Emblem and the gemstones, we must try and defend Ylisstol. We are better defended then Themis. I am confident that we can hold out long enough." A master tactician she was not – they had been noticeably short on those. She knew such things were not her strong suit, but she refused to back down and let Grima take this city.

"I will stay, but I will not force you to do the same. If you wish, you may leave for Regna Ferox and help with their defenses." Lucina waited for their responses with bated breath. Truth be told, she did not want to lose her best soldiers, but she knew the odds were against them.

Gerome was the first to speak, "I will continue to serve you. Fell Dragon or no, I am with you."

Lucina smiled and nodded, "And the rest of you?"

"You know I can't leave you, Lucy!" Cynthia beamed, "I'll be right there beside you!"

"I cannot let my hero cousin stay for such a valiant show of defiance in the face of fate without her loyal slayer of darkness. I pledge my sword hand to whatever you wish, just show me the foe that you would wish defeated!"

Severa sighed, "And I can't let this weirdo go and get himself killed. Guess I'm with you too."

"Well," Inigo smirked, "I've never been one to turn down a lady's invitation. Count me in."

"After what they did to my ma, you better believe I'm not turning tail and running," Brady smacked his staff into the palm of his hand.

"You guys have been like family," Nah smiled, "A really weird and eccentric family, but family nonetheless. I'm with you to the end."

"I-I guess I'll stick around too," Yarne stammered, "Call me crazy, but I think I have better odds surviving with you guys."

Lucina looked at Laurent neutrally. She did not want to pressure him. After a moment of reflection, he opened his eyes and adjusted his glasses, "I suppose that you shall need a mage for the coming battle." He looked Lucina in the eyes, "My services are yours."

Lucina nodded and, for once, she let out a genuine smile. She had not had many of those in many years, "Thank you. All of you. I promise to work hard to be worthy of this trust."

However, before anyone could reply, a messenger ran up to the Exalt, "Your majesty, they're here!"

Lucina's eyes widened, "Show me."

* * *

Grima stood with folded arms as the hordes ran toward Ylisstol's walls. They could be starved out eventually, but that would take far too long and be far too boring. The castle gates stood tall to keep them out, but what was a little wood and stone to the Fell Dragon? Grima manifested a purple sphere of fell energy before expelling it forward into the main gate destroying it and the surrounding guard house.

With the hordes free to enter, Grima turned its attention to the castle. She was there. It was time to shatter any illusion of safety.

* * *

Lucina watched in horror as Grima destroyed the main gate with ease. The overcrowded streets proved to be a slaughter ground as the Risen piled over the rubble. The Exalt clentched her fists on top of the balcony as her teeth ground into each other.

"Order everyone to fall back to the castle," she shouted, but no one moved so she turned to the two soldiers behind her, "I gave you an order! Get our people behind these walls, now!"

"Ma'am!" The two sloppily saluted somewhat drawn out of their horror before running off to complete the order. This left Lucina to look at her comrades with a heavy heart. Things had changed.

"I want you to lead the evacuation. There are escape tunnels hidden throughout the castle. Take those and get as many of our people out as you can. Flee to Regna Ferox and don't look back."

"What about all those lavish words we piled on about staying by your side?" Inigo scoffed, "Don't make a liar out of me."

Lucina gave a humorless smile, "I know, but that was before our defenses were struck down with one blow. I want to hold this city dearly, but," The screams of the people filled their ears even then, "We cannot turn the tide. I will stay and oversee the evacuation."

"This is madness!" Gerome shouted, "In case you have forgotten, we need you to beat that thing! To fight it now would be paramount to suicide."

"I have no intentions of dying. I'll retreat in time," Lucina spoke less than reassuringly, "Now, fulfill my orders."

The kids gave each other various looks before reluctantly going to do just that. However, Lucina called after Cynthia as they left.

"Cynthia," Lucina smiled as she put her hands on her baby sister's pauldrons, "I have a special task for you."

* * *

"Are you kidding me?" Lissa shouted on the verge of hysterics, "I swear that this family has a collective death wish!"

Cynthia flinched as her aunt flew her hands up in the air and walked around in a circle before coming face to face with her again. Despite her small stature, she did demand a certain amount of respect, "No, nope, not doing it. I'm not watching another one of you march off so valiantly to your deaths."

"But, aunt Lissa, she gave us orders."

Lissa smirked, "Oh, come on, I changed both of your soiled clothes as babies. Now, do you want to be a hero, Cynthia?"

* * *

Lucina's knuckles were white around Falchion's hilt as she watched her home burn. They had pulled many behind the castle walls, but most they could not save. It truly felt like the end of the world. As if everything up to this point had been nothing but a prelude. Grima really had been toying with them for years it seemed, but now it seemed that the Fell Dragon had grown bored.

And there was not a thing she could do about it.

"Your majesty!" Lucina sighed knowing she was about to receive more bad news.

"Yes?"

"When we opened the secret passages, Risen came out! They're overrunning the castle from the inside!"

"What?" Lucina yelled. How could they possibly know about those passages? Then something from years ago came to mind. _Betrayed._ Lucina gritted her teeth silently blaming the unknown traitor. What could compel someone to sell out humanity?

"Have all the passages been overrun?"

"No, some of them appear to be clear." Being told which ones, Lucina noted that they were the ones previously only known to the royal family. A highly held secret that even the closest advisors had never been told about.

"Focus our efforts there! We'll provide you cover!" Lucina shouted as she rushed toward where the battle was taking place. When she arrived, she noticed that the Risen seemed to be checking the women's faces before killing them. She surmised that they were looking for her.

As one pinned a female guard to the wall, Lucina darted forward and plunged Falchion into its gut, "I believe the woman you are looking for," Lucina ripped the blade out through the monster's shoulder, "Is me!"

She then stood as it evaporated and looked out on the carnage in her own castle, "Stand firm!" She ordered deflecting a blow from a Risen, "Today, we stand and fight!"

* * *

"Hmph," Grima looked at the castle unamused, "Still they fight? They are tenacious, I'll give them that, but I grow tired of this game." As Grima spoke, its true body moved in. It loomed over the capitol as it approached its destination. With one motion, it landed on the castle destroying a large chunk of it with ease.

"Let's end this."

* * *

Laurent was overseeing the transportation of civilians when the castle shook. He barely maintained his balance as dust fell from the ceiling. He then looked at the halted line of civilians, "Do not stop! We must keep moving!"

"Bad news," Brady ran up to the mage huffing, "I don't know what's happened, but several corridors have collapsed. Most paths have been blocked off."

Laurent's face blanched, "What of my mother?"

Brady shook his head, "Sorry, haven't seen her. I don't even know if you could get to the lab from here." However, one look told him that his friend was going to try anyway. He would have, "Just hurry it up and don't get yourself killed. I'll make sure these guys make it in."

"Thank you," Laurent nodded, "I am in your debt."

"Yeah, yeah," Brady grumbled before yelling at a couple to keep it moving.

Laurent ran through the cracked and collapsed halls of the castle trying to navigate his way to the lab. Fortunately, he had committed the layout to memory. He would occasionally encounter a stray Risen or survivor. He soundly dispatched the former and directed the latter to the extraction point.

Eventually, he did find the lab. The door was partially caved in, but still there at least. Unfortunately, the laboratory had mostly collapsed when he entered.

"Mother!" Laurent called out, but his only reply was a wet cough. Following the sound, he found his mother pinned underneath a particularly large piece of ceiling.

"Mother!" He kneeled down beside her as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Why…are you here?" She asked faintly not opening her eyes.

"I came to get you, mother," He spoke faintly.

"I…appreciate the sentiment," Miriel groaned, "But it is a lost cause. I shall expire soon." She opened her eyes, "Before you and your father…I struggled to understand personal connections. I want…you to know…I loved you…and your father. You two were my greatest discoveries."

"Mother," Laurent's vision blurred as she coughed up blood.

"Now, go," She ordered, "The Exalt will need all the help she can get for what is to come. Go…and do what we could not."

"Mother," Laurent steeled himself, "I will. I promise you this."

"Good," Miriel smiled, "And when this is over, you can conduct your own research. I only…wish I could see…what you will discover."

With that, her breathing stopped. Laurent took a sharp breath before closing her eyes and preparing a fire tome. She would not become a Risen. Not on his watch.

* * *

Lucina picked herself up from the rubble. Looking around revealed no other survivors. At least none that she could see. At least none of the Risen seemed to be a threat anymore. However, that paled in comparison to the sight in front of her.

At first she did not know what the lights that appeared in front of her were until they moved back revealing that they were three of Grima's eyes. The massive dragon's head reared back. Then it spoke.

"Still you persist?" Lucina swallowed as she gripped her sword almost as if she had suddenly forgotten her training. Suddenly, she felt like a little girl again. No, she had more confidence back then.

"Your mother and father are dead, little one," The voice rasped as it echoed through her ruined home, "The future is built upon the past, but I don't expect you to understand. Your kind will never see it. You and your kind are blights to this world. _I_ am the only life worthy of being! So, die!"

Lucina yelled as the dragon lunged forward. She braced herself for her demise, but it never came. Opening her eyes, Lucina saw that she was sitting on the back of her mother's steed with Cynthia flying and Lissa looking back with a grin brandishing a rescue staff.

"Like I said, I'm tired of losing family."

"Aunt Lissa," Lucina then looked back to the ruined castle as Grima removed its maw from the castle it had just taken a bite of.

"Hey," Lissa grabbed her attention, "Don't beat yourself up over this. You couldn't beat that thing."

Lucina did not reply instead remaining silent for the rest of the journey.

* * *

The group of civilians that Brady had taken charge of froze as the tunnel shook with what sounded like a second impact.

"Hey! Move it!" He yelled trying to keep them moving, but as he tried to get them going again, the ceiling started to give way. Brady immediately moved to cover a nearby child, but the debris did not fall. Instead, it was being held up by wind magic.

"It seems my arrival was well timed," Laurent spoke with a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Boy am I glad to see you," Brady looked around, "Your ma?"

"Later," Laurent grimaced, "This is not easy."

"Right," Brady got back to yelling at the civilians to move it while Laurent held up the ceiling just long enough for them to get out. Those he saved heralded him as a hero, but he certainly did not feel like one.

* * *

"There you are," Cynthia ran up and hugged Brady and Laurent as they staggered to the rendezvous point, "I was afraid we had lost you!"

"We ain't goin out that easy," Brady replied. Looking around, he saw a bunch of tired and defeated faces, but one eluded him, "Where's Lucina?"

"With mother and lady Tiki," Owain responded, "She…is not taking this well."

"Can you blame her?" Inigo scoffed, "Our home is up in flames, and there's only a handful of us left. How is she supposed to feel?"

"Like she's not alone," Cynthia answered sadly, and no one had a reply to that, so no one tried.

* * *

Lucina kneeled clutching Falchion's hilt. She clenched her eyes shut as if to will it all away, but it was of no avail. She had failed. Ylisstol was destroyed, so many people were dead, and there had not been a thing she could have done to stop Grima. She was at a loss. How could she ever expect anyone to follow her again?

Behind her, Lissa and Tiki stood in silence. What could they say? They each felt that they should have done more. Tiki in particular felt responsible for allowing such a mess to occur to begin with.

"Hey," Lissa put a hand on her niece's shoulder, "Don't blame yourself for this."

"Why not?" Lucina looked up at her aunt in distress bordering on hysteria, "I could have evacuated them sooner. More could have lived. If only I had put my mission before my own pride."

"Perhaps," Tiki stepped forward, "But they need you now more than ever. Grima is still out there and must be put to rest. I know it is not easy, but it rarely is for those who must fight for the world. Even Marth once lost his homeland, but he rallied allies to his cause."

"But I am no legend," Lucina replied weakly before an idea struck her, "But perhaps I can borrow one."

* * *

As the other Shepherd's children stood waiting for direction, Cytnhia suddenly stood from the log she had been sitting on. Her sister was back.

"Lucy!" Cynthia leapt into a hug which caught the elder sister off guard, but she returned the gesture somewhat stiffly, "I was worried."

"My apologies," Lucina nodded, "To all of you. I have failed you this day, but we are not dead, therefore hope still lives as well." Lucina stood tall as she addressed them, "Our task is clear: we are to recover the complete Fire Emblem and perform the awakening ritual. Then, with the might of Naga's blessing, we strike down Grima. It will not be an easy task. Lady Tiki was able to sense them deep in Grima's territory likely under heavy guard, but I can think of no one else to turn to. Can I count on you for this mission?"

Lucina's heart swelled as, once more, they stepped up to face impossible odds, "Thank you. Come with me, and we'll get you your assignments. Oh," Lucina paused just after turning, "There is…one more thing. Around the people, please refer to me as Marth."

**A/N:I'm thinking this will have one to two more chapters. If one, expect a decent length.**

**She doesn't get the mask until they're about to go through the portal, but in an attempt to inspire the people as well as herself, this seemed like the best time to have her take the name. **


	7. Chapter 7

"I don't like this," Lissa crossed her arms as Lucina stood ready to depart, "It won't be hard to figure out where you're going once Grima finds out what the others are doing."

"That may be," Lucina replied finishing preparing the pegasus for departure. She may not have been as skilled as her mother or Cynthia, but Sumia made sure her eldest daughter knew how to ride a pegasus, "But that is part of the plan. A plan you have voiced your displeasure with repeatedly."

Truth be told, Lucina was not a huge fan of it either. She did not like the idea of sitting back while the others did the work, but eventually, after ganging up on her, they had convinced her to let the others retrieve the Fire Emblem and its gemstones. After they did that, they were supposed to meet her at Mount Prism. Preferably with Grima chasing them so that Lucina could strike the monster down with Naga's blessing.

"Well, let me say it again, I hate this plan. What if something goes wrong?"

"They'll survive," Lucina addressed her aunt's real concerns, "I know they will."

Lissa sighed, "Still as stubborn as ever. I just hope you're right."

Lucina did not answer. So did she.

* * *

Cynthia kept her head down as she pushed her pegasus to fly faster. Her passengers struggled to hold on, but she was not overly concerned with that. Cynthia was not as clueless as some people thought; she knew very well that Lucina had assigned her to the softest target. Both her and Owain. Cynthia knew that she wanted to protect them, but they were also two of their best fighters. Especially Owain. Though, Cynthia had to relent that Gerome may have been better than her, and she was no dragon. Okay, maybe it made some sense, but that did not mean that Lucina was not trying to protect her too.

"Hoy, cousin!" A voice from behind called, "Our destination approaches!"

"I see it," Cynthia yelled back over the rush of the wind. Their target was an old manor hidden out in the countryside – one of the more hospitable parts of Plegia before Grima. It had once belonged to some rich Plegian before the Grimleal seized it. Its remote location did make it ideal for keeping something hidden. However, its location was part of its defense making its actual defenses somewhat lacking. In other words, it was the softest target of the three.

"So, uh, are we going to land?" Yarne asked from the back of the pegasus noticing that they were still going fairly fast.

"Not yet," Cynthia wore an uncharacteristically serious expression as they zoomed in ever closer. It was something most pegasus knights would never attempt, but Cynthia was not most pegasus knights. "Hold on!" Cynthia yelled as she pulled up harshly on the reigns. Yarne closed his eyes in terror, and even Owain flinched in his seat. However, several seconds passed, and they had not splattered against the roof.

"See?" Cynthia beamed, "No problem!"

"Easy for you to say," Yarne stumbled off the pegasus and promptly lost his lunch.

"Ya big baby," Cynthia huffed.

"Er, anyway," Owain collected his bearing. Even he was not immune to that kind of stunt, "We must now begin our infiltration!"

"Ugh, let's get this over with," Yarne groaned. Sticking his nose into the air, Yarne took a big whiff of the air and quickly grimaced, "Yep, Risen. I'd recognize that stink anywhere. Guess big bad Grima never expected anyone to make it this far since I don't smell any people. Present company excluded."

"Great!" Cynthia cheered, "We can be in and out, and hopefully be the first to meet up with Lucy!"

"Indeed," Owain struck his signature pose, "Let us show these undead monstrosities the full power of our combined might!"

"Yeah, yeah," Yarne replied unenthusiastically as he found a hole in the roof they could enter through, "Let's just try and not to get ourselves killed."

* * *

"There it is," Inigo spoke in a hushed tone from the shrubbery. Well, what shrubbery there was. Hidden up in a rocky mountain range laid a Plegian fort with an impressive track record for not being captured. Now, it was the job of three individuals to find the gemstones stored inside, grab them, and get out.

"Well, this looks as unpleasant as I expected," Brady bemoaned at the foreboding sight of the complex, "Guess we're still doing this, huh?"

"We don't have a choice," Inigo replied before turning to his right, "You ready, love?"

"Don't call me that," Nah groaned, "But, yeah, I'm ready."

"Alright, Brady, just wait for my signal," Inigo lifted himself up and started to stealthily approach the structure.

"Wait, what signal?" Brady whispered after him.

"You know, general chaos."

"Right," Brady slumped down with a sigh. Nah simply placed a hand on his shoulder before dashing out herself. How did he end up with this lot?

* * *

Severa looked into the large chamber with her back pressed against the door frame. Not seeing anyone, she motioned for Laurent to follow her. Somehow, they had made it to the Dragon's Table without much of an issue. Truth be told, Plegia's borders had not been that well patrolled, and when it was, it was usually by Risen who were not too bright. Why would they defend it? Who would actually try to attack them?

Well, apparently they would. Severa had not exactly been ecstatic about being given this mission, but she was one of the sneakiest people they had, and Laurent was their best bet at finding and disarming any magical safeguards in their path. Unfortunately, that meant that they had to run into the maw of the enemy.

The large chamber that housed the Emblem was eerily quiet. This was where everything had come to a head leading to all this death and destruction. This was where their parents had failed. Severa's parents likely both died here, as did Laurent's father. Needless to say, this was not a place they wanted to spend much time.

They were also aware that Gaius had failed to do what they were attempting which did not make them feel any better about their prospects. There may not have been any guards in there, but that did not mean that they were going to let their guards down.

"Hold," Laurent whispered, "Something…something is here. Something terrible."

"Great," Severa groaned, "Any idea where?"

"No," Laurent shook his head, "We should probably hurry."

"Can't say I disagree."

Severa made her way up to the altar where she had no trouble grabbing the Emblem with its one gemstone. That, was the easy part it turned out.

"You Ylisseans seem to have a hard time giving up."

Severa lashed out behind her with her sword only to have it caught in the hand of a figure covered in dark energy. The figure tisked before pushing Severa's blade back.

"Are you really so eager to add yours to the blood I have spilt in this place?" Grima quickly noticed the snarl that appeared on Severa's face, "Ah, that's right, you had a parent who died here, didn't you? Perhaps more than one? Hmm, Cordelia's brat wasn't it? Would you like to know how she died? What her last words were? Did she call for you? Your father? Was she pining for Chrom in her last breaths?"

"Shut up!" Severa yelled and charged at the Fell Dragon, but before she could, Grima was engulfed in a wind spell and Severa felt a hand pulling her away by her wrist.

"We cannot best that monster on our own," Laurent told her, "We have what we came for, now we must flee!"

"Right," Severa pulled her arm free just in time to hear a loud growl coming from behind them. She looked back just in time to have Grima knock her back causing the Fire Emblem to skid to Laurent's feet.

"Insolent little nothings!" Grima shot forth a bolt of fell lightning. The dark bolt was blocked by the Emblem, however; as Laurent managed to bring it up in defense at the last moment, but Grima kept pouring more and more energy into it. Neither party noticed as the white gemstone started to crack as it absorbed the blunt of the attack. Eventually, the gemstone gave out exploding into a white shockwave that threw both parties away from each other.

"What was that?" Severa rubbed her head as she picked herself up.

"We can speculate later," Laurent looked behind them, "For now, I would suggest we take advantage of this opportunity."

"Right," Severa nodded and led the way back outside leaving Grima to rise with a snarl.

* * *

"Gerome!" Severa yelled as they met up with their ride outside, "Get ready to get out of here!"

Gerome raised a brow as Severa and Laurent ran rather expediently as they jumped onto Minerva's back, "Did you get it?"

"Just move!" Severa exclaimed while Laurent struggled to catch his breath. Realizing that she was very serious, Gerome spurred Minerva into the air. They had barely started flying when the entrance to the Dragon's Table burst with fell magic as a figure cloaked in shadows arrived and started shooting a multitude of bolts at them. Fortunately, wyverns could be quite agile in the right hands, and Gerome and Minerva were the best wyvern rider duo alive. That did not mean they did not have some close calls though.

"That, was unpleasant," Laurent commented as he put his hat out. Not only had he nearly lost it in Minerva's maneuvers, but it had been struck by one of Grima's spells.

"But at least we got this," Severa patted the Fire Emblem. However, as she went to put it in the saddle bag, she realized something, "Hey, didn't this thing have a gemstone thing in it?"

Laurent looked at it, "It did. Could that shockwave have been a result of Grima destroying one of them?"

"You lost one?" Gerome looked back.

"Hey, we didn't lose it, Grima broke it!"

"Let's just…focus on getting back. Perhaps Lady Tiki will know our next step."

Gerome grunted as he turned his attention back forward while Laurent looked down silently until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You saved my butt back there. Thanks."

"Don't mention it," That was the last word any of them would speak for hours.

* * *

Back at the Dragon's Table, Grima snarled in the direction that they had flown.

"Milord! I–" Grima shot a hole through the Grimleal's chest in rage before he could finish. After a few minutes, Grima turned to another that was cowering in fear.

"Ready the troops. Risen, Grimleal; everything you can get your hands on." Grima walked back into the structure, "We're going to Mount Prism."

* * *

"Well, that went well," Cynthia spoke as they flew away from the manor.

"You call that well?" Yarne asked from the back.

"Sure. We aren't dead or anything."

"Barely," The Taguel murmured, "Whatever, you do have them, right?"

Owain somewhat recklessly lifted a small pouch into the air, "Fear not! The stones of power are secure with Owain Dark!"

"Hey, careful with those! I didn't risk extinction just for you to drop them!"

"Calm yourself," Owain smirked, "Soon we shall reunite with the others and my dear cousin."

"Yeah," Yarne grumbled, "I just hope their missions went better than ours."

* * *

"Well, this could have gone better," Inigo mumbled as he kicked a Risen he had locked blades with away. He could see Nah in the distance still providing an ample distraction, but even running hit and run tactics, she could only keep this up for so long until she either got hit with a lucky shot or was overwhelmed.

"Where is Brady with that rescue?" However, just as he said that, his vision was overtaken by a bright light. When it cleared, he was in the shrubbery again with Brady a few feet away, "Cutting it somewhat close, weren't you?"

"I needed you to be so close. Don't you know how these things work?"

"Quit your bickering!" Nah growled as she came in for a landing. The other two climbed onto her back, something she did not care for, "Alright, hold on!"

"Tell me you got them," Nah craned her neck back to her passengers after she was confident that they were in the clear.

"Got them right here," Inigo patted a pouch on his belt, "So long as the others did their jobs, Lucina should be all powered up within a day."

Nah sighed, "Good, but we're not done yet."

"It seems we never are," Inigo sighed.

* * *

Lucina hopped off her pegasus having finally arrived at the peak of Mount Prism. Tiki was there to greet her having gone on ahead to prepare for the awakening ritual.

"Is everything ready?" Lucina inquired as she secured her mount.

"There has been a complication," Tiki started, "It would seem that one of the gemstones has been destroyed."

"'Destroyed!?'" Lucina exclaimed with mounting panic.

"Yes, few beings would be capable of such a feat leading me to believe that Grima was responsible. Fortunately, the remaining parts all seem to be converging on this location."

Lucina ran a hand over her forehead, "What can we do without the full Emblem? Are we finished?"

"There…may be one more thing we can try." Lucina looked at the manakete skeptically, "It is unproven, but Naga devised a ritual in the event of a worst-case scenario. The collected gemstones should be enough, though accuracy may suffer."

Lucina raised a brow, "Accuracy of what?"

* * *

The team stood in a circle mulling over what Lucina had just told them.

"The past," Owain's voice wavered, his theatrics having failed him.

"Could..." Cynthia spoke barely above a whisper, "Could we see our parents again?"

"I do not intend to interfere any more than absolutely necessary," Lucina instructed with a stern face before putting a hand on her sister's shoulder, "I know you want to see them again. So do I, but this is not our world to meddle with. It is important that we remember that."

"No matter how much they resemble our parents, they aren't," Laurent spoke softly, and Lucina nodded.

"No. They would have their own lives. Lives that we are supposed to ensure that they get to live."

"So, we're just giving up on this world?" Severa threw her hands up.

"Sev," Owain spoke with a surprisingly serious voice, "We all know it's only a matter of time."

No one spoke for a few minutes with most directing their gazes downward. It was something none of them talked about, but they knew that if they did not stop Grima, then the monster would continue to slowly choke them to death. This world was lost to them.

"If we do this," Lucina broke the silence, "Naga said that the accuracy of when and where we appear may be…off. If you end up somewhere or somewhen that you are unfamiliar with, then you should search for the gemstones or some means of helping in the fight with Grima. Something, anything to give us an edge, but under no circumstances are you to seek out your parents. If you can, try to meet up with each other."

"Wait," Brady raised a hand, "Exactly how 'off' are we talking?"

"She is confident that you will end up on land. As for the when…apparently no more than four decades prior to this point in time."

"Well," Laurent adjusted his glasses, "I suppose I could catch up on some research."

"So…we're really doing this?" Yarne asked.

"It looks that way," Inigo rubbed his chin, "If only I'd had time to pack."

"Rest up," Lucina spoke, "Naga will take some time to prepare the ritual."

As they started to go about their business, Gerome approached the exalt, "Someone may have to interact with the Shepherds of that world."

"That is true," Lucina mused, "What is your point?"

"Here," Gerome pulled something out of his bag and handed it to Lucina.

"A mask?"

"You may need a disguise. Your brand could invite…questions."

"Thank you, Gerome," Lucina put a hand on one of his pauldrons, "You're a loyal knight. Your father would be proud."

Gerome simply gave a nondescript grunt before turning back to tend to Minerva. Lucina looked at the mask for a moment before Tiki called out for her.

"Lucina, while we may not be able to awaken Falchion's full might, Naga believes that some of it may be able to be awakened."

"Really? Let's do it."

"Follow me." However, they were interrupted by Laurent.

"Pardon the intrusion, but I wanted to apologize, I was the one who used the Emblem to defend against Grima's attack that shattered the gemstone."

Tiki gave him a soft smile in response, "Do not worry yourself over that. Had you failed to retrieve the Emblem at all, then we would not be able to do even this. You did well."

Laurent nodded, "Milady."

Tiki kept her smile up as she and Lucina entered the temple, "You have capable allies. Few could face Grima and live."

"They are the best we have."

Tiki nodded as they came up upon a pedestal, "Now, let us begin."

* * *

Lucina hefted Falchion up after the ritual ended. It felt…different. At first touch, she could almost have sworn that a tingle went up her arm, but it quickly faded. What would it have felt like at full power?

"Lucina!" Gerome darted into the temple.

"Gerome?" Lucina spun on her heels, "What is it?"

"Grima is here."

Lucina wasted no time in darting outside to find Grima's foul shadow approaching with legions of Risen underneath. Their also appeared to be a vanguard led by a shadowy figure advancing ahead of the dragon.

"We can't let them through!" Lucina yelled, "Not a single Risen is to make it to the portal. Is that clear?" The other responded by raising their weapons and shouting. Lucina in turn raised the partially awakened Falchion, "Today, we will put up a fight to make our parents proud! To arms!"

"I believe I may be able to help."

"Lady Tiki?"

"There is not much point in keeping a low profile anymore, is there?" Tiki walked out in front of the children. As she did so, the faces of their parents ran through her mind and she whispered a small apology to them as she slowly started to shine. When the light cleared, Tiki stood in her draconic form, "I'll help stall Grima. You deal with the stragglers and defend the portal until all of you make it through."

With that, Tiki flew off to face the Fell Dragon.

* * *

Grima chuckled as Tiki flew forward at an incredible speed. In one movement, she incinerated two deadlords along with a good chunk of the other Risen around them.

"Come now," Grima shot out a bolt of fell magic forcing Tiki to land, "Those are not the easiest in the world to make."

"Grima," Tiki snarled, "Will you never stop this destruction?"

"Who's going to stop me?" Grima laughed cruelly, "_You_I? Your mother? Or maybe you mean that pathetic pup of Chrom's. You can't stop me. Even you are beneath me."

"Then you shouldn't mind sparring a bit," Fire spewed from Tiki's maw as she raced toward the Fell Dragon with flames hotter than almost any magic spell. However, they abruptly stopped when she felt a hand clamp around her throat. Looking forward showed an angry looking Grima as the shadows reformed around its host after Tiki burned them away.

"I had hoped that I was wrong," Tiki wheezed, "I'm so sorry, Robin."

Grima let out another round of bone-chilling laughter, "He was weak. Someone with that much self-doubt was easy to conquer. Such a lonely and sad man. I would have hoped that my vessel would have put up more of a fight!

"Speaking of fights," Grima squeezed and a loud crack echoed throughout the mountain top, "Yours is at an end."

* * *

Lucina took a moment to adjust to the mask and the braid. She did not know where or when she would end up, so she wanted to be ready. Even so, the mask was not comfortable, nor did she care for tying her hair up like that, but she would harder to recognize. She did not even want to risk her parents ever even thinking that their grown daughter twenty years in the future looked like some old mysterious stranger.

However, the Risen were still approaching, and it was not long before they were upon them. She would have to adapt on the fly she decided as she brandished Falchion and a pale blue light appeared behind her.

"The portal's open!" Lucina yelled as her Falchion cut cleanly through two Risen.

An apparition of Naga appeared before the portal, "Due to the incomplete Emblem, you will have to go a few at a time."

"Cynthia! Brady! Yarne! You're first!"

Cynthia wanted to argue, but she knew it was not the time, so she hurried up and darted into the portal after the others causing it to fade as it recharged. The rest of them formed up a defensive perimeter.

"I don't care for these odds," Inigo muttered.

"Hah!" Owain assumed his signature pose, "Allow my sword hand to buy us all the time we need!"

"You do that, buddy."

"Focus," Lucina never stopped cleaving Risen apart and demonstrating why she was the strongest of them all. With her efforts, they were able to hold off the horde long enough for the portal to recharge allowing for another three to go through.

"Owain! Severa! Laurent!"

"How can I leave in the midst of such a legendary battle?" Owain looked almost insulted at having been ordered to retreat.

"Ugh!" Severa grabbed him by the collar, "Move!"

As Severa dragged the theatrical man through the portal, Laurent paused at the event horizon and looked back with a nod, "Be safe." Lucina nodded back and Laurent went through causing the portal to fade again.

"You should have gone," Gerome grunted as he cleaved a Risen coming for Lucina asunder, "We don't know if we'll survive to the next wave."

"We will," Lucina tightened her grip on her blade, "We will."

Gerome simply nodded and continued fighting. Meanwhile, Lucina gritted her teeth. It seemed the hole that Tiki had made for them was slowly but surely closing in. It would not be long before they were overrun. They just had to hope that they had enough time. Fortunately, they did still have a dragon. Nah's efforts went a long way toward holding off the Risen buying them time until the portal reappeared.

"Go!" Lucina ordered as she caught a Risen's axe with Falchion.

"Lucina–" Gerome started to argue, but Lucina would have none of it.

"Go now! The longer you argue, the longer it is until I go. Now leave!"

She had a point. Inigo looked back before running through. Nah covered them as they retreated. Gerome clearly was not happy about it though. He clenched his teeth so hard that one could audibly hear them grinding against each other had it not been for the other noise, but he did eventually go through followed by Nah.

"Okay," Lucina panted, "I just have to survive until the portal comes back and get in before the Risen go through and expend it again." Looking out over the horde, Lucina breathed before tightening her grip on Falchion.

* * *

Grima locked eyes with the princess as she fought for her own survival. Tiki had annoyingly taken out most of the vanguard, but even the stragglers were decently plentiful in number. At least they had been. Grima stopped several yards away. Not out of the dragon's volition, however.

"Gah! You!" Grima's pupils narrowed as the source of all that body's problems finally manifested, "Perhaps I did not give you enough credit." Grima clenched a shaky hand, "But you cannot best me. You are only delaying the inevitable.

"Insolent mortal!" Fell energy rippled around Grima's body as the last vestiges of the man known as Robin were burned away, "I am the Fell Dragon Grima!"

"Grima!" Lucina called out holding that accursed blade toward the dragon.

Grima smirked through the shadows, finally free to approach, "Hello little princess. Why do you fight? Surely you know that this world is doomed. Do you really think you can change the fate of another world?"

"I can try," Lucina grit her teeth in determination.

Grima chuckled cruelly, "Don't you get it, girlie? There is only despair!"

"You're wrong!" Lucina yelled, "Hope will never die!"

Just as Lucina spoke, the portal lit up again, and time seemed to momentarily freeze. However, that did not last long as Risen soon started trying to beat her to it as she was getting overwhelmed, but Lucina was fast. Not fast enough, however, as two Risen darted through the portal before her, but she did make it before any others.

This left Grima to snarl, but it was soon replaced with a smirk. With an outstretched hand, Grima used fell magic to keep Naga from closing the portal permanently. It did put a significant amount of strain on the mortal body, but Grima was able to open the portal just enough for one more to pass through.

Grima chuckled, "Don't get too comfortable, princess."

**A/N: Finally done. This story, unfortunately, didn't really seem to take off. I'm not sure if I'll do the Robin story, but if I do, I may try to make sure I have most of it done before posting. **

** Maybe I'll even add to that EliwoodXLyn story for the few of us who enjoy that.**

** I also kind of want to do something after encountering more people who think that RobinXLucina is a…inappropriate pairing to counter it, but I don't have much in the way of ideas.**

**I do have an idea for a longer story, but it will probably be some time before it sees the light of day if it ever does.**

** Well, hopefully you enjoyed this at least. **


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